Page 32 of Nanny for the Bodyguard

Hazel jumps as I speak, and I laugh at her. She’s always so jumpy. It’s kind of hilarious how easy it is to startle her.

“Christ! Easton,” she whines, “I could have spilled. And you’re welcome, by the way.”

I just smile, walking up to the island and taking a seat. “You didn’t have to cook, Hazel. I just finished for the day.”

“Eh,” she shrugs, “it’s the least I can do with how hard you’ve been working. It’s not like I was doing anything else. Jade is pretty self-sufficient as long as she has a new book.”

“Well, thanks. It’s nice of you.” I lean back against the chair, throwing my arm over the back. “But this definitely puts you into nanny territory. Should I be paying you more?”

“Yes.”

She doesn’t miss a beat when she answers, and we both burst out laughing after a few moments of silence.

When the energy calms down, Hazel wiping a tear from under her eye thanks to laughing so hard, she stirs the sauce on the stove and then scoops some onto her wooden spoon.

With her hand under it to catch any spills, she angles the spaghetti sauce toward me.

“Want to try some?”

I get up, walking over toward her. It hits me that we’re alone in the kitchen, and when I lower my mouth to the spoon, I can’t look away from her as I wrap my lips around it and suck up some of the tasty sauce.

It’s hot, and I nearly burn my tongue. Still, I go back for seconds, blowing across the surface this time and then licking up another mouthful without breaking eye contact.

What am I doing?

“It’s good.”

My voice is raspy and deep as I answer, too full of something that’s dangerously akin to lust. Hazel hardly blinks, her chest moving in gentle heaves as she takes shaky breaths.

“Yeah?” Hazel replies, her tone betraying the thoughts in her head that likely resemble mine.

She licks her lips, and it’s just the invitation my addled brain needs to swipe a finger through the red sauce and hover it above her lips.

“Give it a try.”

My heart is fucking pounding, and this is a terrible idea, but it’s too late. I’m here. I’m doing this, and then Hazel flicks her stare up to mine, dragging her tongue through the sauce on my pointer finger.

I bite back a moan. That shouldnotbe so sexy.

And then she’s giggling, chewing on that damn full bottom lip of hers, and I’m going to melt. It’s the sweetest sound, and I know I’m not supposed to be doing this.

But it’s been so damn hard to keep myself away from her. And earlier at the park when I said she was my girlfriend. Thatdidsomething to me.

Yeah, it was funny, just a prank at first, but holding her against me like that, kissing her head, it felt familiar and real and too amazing for words.

It was stupid, though. This wasn’t going to work out like that. This wasn’t some fairy tale where I got her back. Hell, I wasn’t even sure if I wanted that.

But oh, the sound of that embarrassed little giggle. I’ve been dreaming of that sound every night since I left her.

“It really is. I think I outdid myself.”

My cock twitches behind my zipper.Yes, yes, you did, Hazel. That lick was…fuck, I’m going to lose it.

We’re so close, and she hasn’t made a move to back away. Are we both so gone right now that we can’t find our logic with two hands and a map?

I know I am.

Behind the admittedly delicious scent of food cooking, right up against Hazel like this, I can smell her shampoo. I can smell her skin and the unique fragrance that is entirely her.